The teacher became too flustered, "Catcher, why do you want to bring the poor nun back to Beijing? Miss Liu's death really has nothing to do with the nunnery. Mr. Liu can testify for us. They sent her here. They also know Liu's death best." What kind of temper is the girl?"
Liu Yan was watching the attendants loading the boxes and cages on the carriage, and came forward upon hearing the words, "Captain, Master and the others do take good care of you on weekdays."
Wu Xiang raised her eyebrows thickly, "Even if you are not the murderer, you are circumstantial evidence. It is common for you to be asked to go back to Beijing for questioning. If you confess quickly, it will only take a day of your time. If you still cover up, you will not be forgiven."
Both Qingyin and Qingshuang, who was taken away by name, looked timid. The teacher pursed his lips and kept looking at Liu Yan, but Liu Yan avoided it a little. At the end, the teacher gritted his teeth and said, "That's all, I'll go tonight Walk around the Yamen Prison."
Knowing that there is no room for change, Qingshuang and Qingshuang both showed depression, Qingshuang stared at Qingshuang resentfully, as if to blame her for talking too much, Qingshuang stopped talking for a moment, mumbled and dared not speak.
The teacher told the remaining two nuns to be optimistic about the nunnery, and the group set off to return to Beijing. The teacher and the nun rode in the nunnery's chariot and horses, but they didn't dare to disobey any more.
At this time, the sky was full of clouds, and the magnificent thick golden color spread all over the mountains and plains. A group of people walked out of the mountain depression, went up the official road, and went straight to the capital. When it was dark, everyone returned to the city gate. Wu Xiang bid farewell and wanted to go back to the mansion to report to her elders.
Wu Xiang said: "Although it's late, I'm still waiting for you in Yizhuang."
Liu Yan responded and took his servants to Pingkangfang, Wu Xiang took Miss Liu's body to Yizhuang, and the three teachers and wife were taken back to the Yamen for custody.
When they arrived at Yizhuang, they sent the body to the back hall, Wu Xiang and Bo Ruoyou continued to wait. After waiting for a while, Wu Xiang became a little impatient, so he sent a government servant to inquire about Liu's family.
The two waited in Yizhuang for another hour. Before Liu Yan came, the yamen who went out to inquire came back first.
The Yacha reported: "When I went to Pingkangfang, the people in that area really knew a lot about the Liu family. The Liu family is now headed by Liu Kun, the uncle of the Liu family. Under Liu Kun, there are three other masters who are all businessmen. The three sons I met today are the only sons of the uncle, and the other three masters each have children, and these seven girls are the sons of the fifth master of the Liu family who passed away."
Yacha breathed a sigh of relief, and continued: "Seventh girl's mother died of a blood collapse when she was born, so when she was born, Seventh girl got the name of Kemu, even her biological father didn't like it. She also invited monks and Taoists into the mansion, trying to exorcise her from evil spirits. Later, when Seventh Girl was three years old, Liu Wuye fell into the lake and died after being drunk. In the name of her father, she lost her parents and had such a reputation. After these years, it was very difficult. Even the neighbors were a little shy when mentioning her. Because of this, her marriage in the past two years could not be discussed by the family. "
Standing under the dim light in the front hall, Bo Ruoyou felt chills in her hands and feet.
"Although this is the case, the Liu family still gives her some respect, but half a year ago, for some reason, Seventh Miss suddenly disappeared. The neighbors only know that Seventh Miss was sick and sent away, but it is difficult to know anything else."
Wu Xiang frowned, "It seems that her life in the Liu family is not easy."
Turning around, Wu Xiang saw Bo Ruoyou's pale face, her beautiful and clear eyes were a little dim, and the brows were also frowning, Wu Xiang sighed, "It's really a poor girl who has lived a hard life and has no one to discipline her." , I’m afraid that someone will be deceived.”
Otherwise, how could a good lady from a family have given birth to a child before she was married
Bo Ruoyou's heart seemed to be crushed by a heavy stone, and she came forward after a while of suffocation, "There is no marriage, and she has a bad reputation outside, who will get close to her?"
She pursed her lips, her throat filled with bitterness, and when she looked back, she seemed to be able to see Seventh Girl's body through the thick house wall.
"what is her name?"
Yacha thought for a moment, "This subordinate didn't ask."
A girl's boudoir name is not considered private in Dazhou, but no one outside knows the name of Seventh Girl, and seeing that she is in a low position in Liu's residence, Bo Ruoyou didn't ask any further questions, but looked at the sky, only to see the clear moon in the sky, the jade plate Only one corner is missing, and it will become a full moon.
Mid-autumn is approaching.
Wu Xiang frowned, "Forget it, it's too late, I'll go to Liu's mansion right now, if I can do an autopsy, you can come to have an autopsy tomorrow morning, if not—" He narrowed his eyes, "That means there is something wrong in my heart .”
Bo Ruoyou nodded, went out of Yizhuang, got into the carriage, and went home.
The carriage moved slowly, and Bo Ruoyou was a little tired after running for half a day. She opened the curtain and leaned against the window, letting the moonlight fill her body. Wait for the letter.
When the carriage stopped at the door of the house, Bo Ruoyou walked in a little fast. He had only been to the Chengnan Infirmary the day before yesterday, and Cheng Yunzhi was in the study changing a new prescription. The death of Miss Liu's family was revealed.
Cheng Yunzhi stopped writing for a while, "The Liu family... is also a family that has fallen, it's a pity, little girl, can the cause of death be determined?"
"For the time being, it is speculated that she died of a contusion on her forehead, she lost too much blood, died for many days, her body was badly decomposed, and there was only one trauma, but her family has not yet decided whether to have an autopsy, and I waited for a long time with the head catcher Seeing that it was getting late, the headhunter ordered me to come back."
She stood by the table and polished Cheng Yunzhi's ink, and suddenly said softly: "Why did the adoptive father want to take me away with me?"
Cheng Yunzhi raised his eyes to look at her. Since childhood, Bo Ruoyou seldom asked old things. Today's question came from nowhere, but there was nothing he couldn't say. He said in a slow voice, "I don't worry You, don't say that your uncle and second uncle didn't have my trust in their behavior at that time, they were good-natured, they all had their own children, how could they compare to me and your adoptive mother, we had no children at that time, so we regarded you as our own daughter Yes, even if I have my own children in the future, I will not lose my love for you."
Bo Ruoyou only felt the tip of her nose sour, she lowered her eyes and said, "My daughter will honor her adoptive father for the rest of her life."
Cheng Yunzhi smiled generously, and praised her for being cute. She didn't mention Seventh Girl's life experience, and Cheng Yunzhi didn't think too much about it.
She can't remember clearly what happened when she was five years old, but she still remembers the words that Bo's family had quarreled with Cheng Yunzhi and his wife when they sent people to Qingzhou. She, she didn't understand at the time, and she didn't know the meaning until she was two years older. Sometimes she thought, her parents died early, and her younger brother died in an accident. Zee overwhelmed their possibilities.
If Wu Cheng Yunzhi and his wife adopted her and took her away from the capital, would the seventh girl of the Liu family be her fate
There was a chill down her spine, and she felt warm when she saw Cheng Yunzhi's gentle face full of wrinkles.
"According to the people in the nunnery, Miss Liu's spirit is not good, and sometimes she goes crazy, which reminds her of the eldest princess..."
Bo Ruoyou didn't dare to hide the fact that Cheng Yunzhi had been to the eldest princess's mansion. Cheng Yunzhi said it was unseemly at the beginning, but he never thought that Huo Weilou would have such a heart, but he was very shocked when he heard about the eldest princess's illness.
Bo Ruoyou said again: "If a crazy person hurts himself, wouldn't he not know the pain?"
Cheng Yunzhi stopped writing, "It's not entirely true, even if you are crazy, you will cry out in pain. From what you said, the girl from the Liu family is not crazy all day long. Did she ever hit a pillar when she was crazy?"
"I haven't heard this mentioned before, but his brother said that she once had the idea of committing suicide."
Bo Ruoyou thought about this and frowned. Although she wanted to commit suicide, none of the scars on her body were fatal, which showed that she had never tried before. Bo Ruoyou said again: "For some reason, I always feel that the nunnery is a bit weird. The teacher is too kind-hearted, but acts quite coldly, and even has the intention of hiding from the government, a few nuns..."
It's hard for Bo Ruoyou to say that she's too intimate. After all, she's a Buddhist, it's always impolite to speculate secretly, and even if she doesn't say it, Cheng Yunzhi's eyes have become serious, "Are they relying on the nobles in the city to help them?"
"That's right. Today when the yamen went to interrogate them, they didn't even want to tell Miss Liu's life experience. They just wanted to wait for Liu's family to come. They were very reluctant to take them back to Beijing in the afternoon."
Cheng Yunzhi showed hesitation, "The nunnery outside the city...is not necessarily a real nunnery."
Although Cheng Yunzhi is down and out now, but before he was in his twenties, he was the eldest son of the Cheng family. He knows how rich and noble families spend their time, but after he finished speaking, Bo Ruoyou was puzzled, and Cheng Yunzhi couldn't help but speak more bluntly. A little bit more, "The dignitaries in the city, there are those who like wine and sex, besides going to the place of fireworks, they have many other hobbies."
Cheng Yunzhi's point came to an end, Bo Ruoyou thought for a while, and stared in horror, she couldn't believe that possibility, but thinking of the nun's eyebrows drawn today, there was an indescribable mood around her, she had already believed it three times in her heart point.
"This... this daughter doesn't know. If this is the case, today's abnormal situation will be explained. I will go to the head arrester tomorrow, and my daughter will mention it to him. If it has nothing to do with the case, that's all. If it is, maybe there is a connection."
Cheng Yunzhi responded well, but suddenly his eyebrows moved slightly, "The princess's illness has always been taken care of by the imperial doctor?"
Bo Ruoyou nodded, "The imperial doctor has been watching all the year round, and Mr. Ming often visits the mansion to ask for pulse."
After Cheng Yunzhi heard this, he frowned and began to think. Bo Ruoyou blinked, thinking that Cheng Yunzhi took the initiative to ask if there was any cure, so he asked, "Does foster father have a cure for Eldest Princess's madness?"
Cheng Yunzhi looked a little hesitant, "Madness is not easy to cure, and I heard you say that the eldest princess's illness is so serious, it is a long-standing illness, and the foster father is not sure."
Bo Ruoyou seemed to see a glimmer of light in the darkness, "It doesn't matter if you're not sure, foster father is willing to try?"
That day when Bo Ruoyou told him about the Eldest Princess's sickness, his eyes were red when he said it, and he thought about it at that time, but he hesitated in his heart, so he didn't speak immediately. Today Bo Ruoyou mentioned the Eldest Princess' illness again , obviously she was worried about it, so he didn't hold back.
"It's okay to try—"
Bo Ruoyou smiled, "That's great! My adoptive father doesn't know, I really feel sorry for the princess."
Cheng Yunzhi said angrily, "I think you feel sorry for Wu Zhaohou."
Bo Ruoyou's cheeks turned red, "I... I really feel sorry for Her Highness the Princess. When I saw Your Highness that day, the servants coaxed her. She looked at talking to us well, but her memory was all messed up. He actually used the study of the Duke of the State as his own study, and then he became ill and changed in an instant, the daughter looked at it, and felt pain in her heart for some reason, as if she could feel her pain."
Cheng Yunzhi's eyes changed slightly when he heard this, and he pulled his lips again, "She is Wu Zhaohou's mother, Wu Zhaohou cherishes her, and you love Wu and Wu, so naturally you also feel pity for her."
"Father!" Bo Ruoyou couldn't bear the embarrassment, "How dare you make fun of your daughter."
Cheng Yunzhi smiled gently, "When Wu Zhaohou returns, I will go to the Princess Mansion."
Bo Ruoyou was satisfied, and obediently helped him serve Mo, when he went back to his room to rest later, he was thinking how long it would take for Huo Weilou to come back, now that Huo Weilou had been away for two months, he was afraid that he would have to wait another whole month Might not be able to see him.
In the early morning of the second day, before Bo Ruoyou went to the yamen to meet her, a yamen messenger came to look for her and ordered her to go to Yizhuang. The Liu family agreed to the autopsy. Bo Ruoyou was refreshed, and immediately got into the carriage with the autopsy equipment.
When we arrived at Yizhuang, the sun had just climbed over the top of the clouds, and the warm autumn sun melted down on our body, dispelling the yin energy in Yizhuang. When we entered the back hall, Wu Xiang was already waiting for us.
"Captain, how did you go to Liu's house last night?"
Wu Xiang couldn't tell what expression was on her face, "I went to Liu's house last night and found out that they were having a banquet at the house during the day, and the reason why it took so long was because the house couldn't leave."
The corners of Bo Ruoyou's curved lips suddenly sank, and she felt a chill in her heart, and when she looked at the rotting corpse on the wooden bed, she felt even more worried. She didn't ask any more questions, put on her hand guards and put on a handkerchief and walked to the corpse.
Wu Xiang paused and continued: "After entering the Liu family, the Liu family heard that an autopsy was required, and they agreed without any hesitation."
Bo Ruoyou's heart was suffocated again, he chose a necropsy knife that was in his hand, and began to cut into the skull of the corpse.
The flesh and blood around the wound were eaten away by maggots, and coupled with the rot, there was only a layer of meningeal carrion attached to the bone. She easily peeled off the skull, and checked the cracked bone seams around the wound extremely carefully.
Her expression during the autopsy is always solemn and calm, her eyes like a flat lake are full of broken ice, and the onlookers dare not breathe. Wu Xiang waited quietly by the side, and it took a full two cups of tea before Bo Ruoyou raised her hand. eye.
"The frontal bone two inches above the deceased's temple was the injury site, where the frontal bone was sunken and fractured due to an external force. There were many broken bones in the sunken place, and there were bone cracks extending toward the superior temporal line at the edge of the sunken place. , judging from the direction of the line and the number of broken bones, it was not caused by a one-time impact, and the direction of the impact force is almost the same—"
Wu Xiang didn't quite understand, "What do you mean? It means she was hit several times before she died?"
Bo Ruoyou raised her eyes and looked at Wu Xiang, "Not only did she bump into him several times, but she was also coerced into bumping into her several times."
Wu Xiang's pupils trembled, and Bo Ruoyou said: "With such a serious injury, she should be dizzy after just one blow. In addition to the pain, it is absolutely impossible for her to be in the same situation again only by her own size, will, and physical strength. hit the second time at an angle."
After Bo Ruoyou finished speaking, he said, "You can try to catch the head."
Although Wu Xiang felt that what she said was reasonable, she felt that she was not 100% sure. He turned and walked towards the door, bent over, and slammed against the door. Soon, he found that if a person bent over, , even without any pain, it is not easy to maintain the same posture and hit the door, because the bent body is easy to lose balance.
He believed what Bo Ruoyou said, "So, can it be concluded that it was homicide?"
Bo Ruoyou nodded, then frowned and looked at the rotting nape of the corpse, "With her stature, the murderer could only hold her slender nape and make her bump against the bedpost, but it's a pity that the nape of her neck The blood on the ground rotted very quickly, and now there is no trace of subcutaneous congestion, otherwise, the evidence would be stronger and there would be more clues."
Wu Xiang imagined the scene at that time, and felt that only such a murderer could do the murder. The stature of these seven girls is almost the same as that of Bo Ruoyou, but she is much thinner than Bo Ruoyou. Seeing her bump into the wall is to strangle her to death, it seems that anyone can do it.
Wu Xiang took a deep breath, "Since that's the case, I'll send someone to Liu's house to inform. The teacher and nun have never interrogated them. If I want to ask them, I can get more clues."
Bo Ruoyou looked at the scar on the forehead of the corpse and said: "The murderer is likely to be a man, the number of impacts should be about three times, the depression is deep, the bone fracture line is long, the murderer's strength is not small, and I have never found it in her hand. For any signs of struggle, the speed of the murderer's hand should be very fast."
Wu Xiang's eyes lit up slightly, "Okay, I'll go back to the yamen first, if you get anything else, come to the yamen to find me."
Bo Ruoyou was about to respond, but at this moment he remembered something and said, "Catch the head and stop!"
Wu Xiang stopped and turned around, "Why?"
"Catch the head and interrogate the teachers and nuns. You can ask, besides praying for blessings and offering incense, do they have any other unscrupulous livelihoods in their nunneries."
She looked cold and serious, Wu Xiang raised her eyebrows, and soon, a flash of understanding flashed in his eyes, he nodded solemnly, turned and left with the clerk.
Bo Ruoyou stayed behind and examined the body again, but it was the same as yesterday, nothing was found. She had been dead for a long time, and the surface of her body was rotten. Coupled with the bursting and scattered blood under the skin, it was already quite terrifying, and her abdomen was swollen due to corruption. In this weather, this corpse could not be preserved for a few days.
Bo Ruoyou cleaned her hands and put away the utensils. She wanted to know what the three nuns could say, so she bid farewell to Uncle Kun and drove to the yamen in a carriage.
When she arrived at the yamen, she knew that Wu Xiang was being interrogated in the prison cell, so she was not in a hurry, so she waited for half an hour after being on duty, and Wu Xiang came out of the cell with a sullen face, holding a piece of evidence in her hand, Knowing that the autopsy found nothing, Wu Xiang handed over the evidence to Bo Ruoyou.
Bo Ruoyou took it over to look at it, Wu Xiang exhaled heavily and said, "The two young ones talked very quickly, but the old nun didn't talk much. I really didn't expect that the Shuiyue Nunnery would actually do that wrong thing." It's a flesh-and-blood business."
Thinking of the respect he had for the nuns before, Wu Xiang spat on the ground angrily, "In addition to the Liu family, there are two other families who are also involved. They are all friends of the Liu family. These people are really shameless. There is still a sculpture of a Bodhisattva in the Buddhist hall outside!"
After venting her anger, Bo Ruoyou suddenly raised her eyebrows looking at the evidence, "In the past few days, three people have actually visited her?"
When Wu Xiang heard this, she laughed angrily again, "No, the three of them went to see her for three days, but no one answered in the room, and none of them thought it was inappropriate. If they found out earlier, they would Why are people dying? These nuns still have the heart to protect their masters, really... "
Wu Xiang couldn't find the right words to scold for a while, Bo Ruoyou frowned, "One is the third uncle of Seventh Miss, and the other two are her cousins, it's weird, it doesn't mean that Seventh Miss is here Are you not favored at home?"
Wu Xiang sneered, "Bring these three people, and you'll find out if you ask them!"
After saying this, he wanted to take the yamen messenger to fetch him, but Bo Ruoyou couldn't follow him, so he had to wait in the yamen again. This time, he waited for an hour, just as Bo Ruoyou was worried about Wu Xiang getting this thing. When things go wrong, several carriages stopped in front of the Yamen, and three middle-aged men in fine clothes walked down from the carriages, followed by three young princes on horseback. Number of people!
Wu Xiang led the way, and the group quickly entered the gate of the yamen. Although they entered the yamen of Jingzhao Mansion, there was no nervousness or fear on the faces of these people. Looking at them from a distance, they did not feel guilty at all.
Bo Ruoyou stood in the corridor behind the inner hall, and not long after, a group of people entered the hall.
Through a wall, Bo Ruoyou could clearly hear the conversation outside.
A gentle voice sounded, "Wu Butou, whatever you say, we are all willing to cooperate. As for what you said, we might harm our niece, but it is completely impossible."
Wu Xiang said in a cold voice: "Second master, don't be in a hurry, let the third master answer first, why did you go to see Miss Seven that day?"
The third master of the Liu family looked calm and said: "I went because the day before that she said she had lost her temper. It was a letter from the nunnery. I knew she was weak, so I wanted to go and have a look, but no one expected it. Open the door, after all, it is inside the nunnery, if it is not good-looking, it will lose its dignity, so I waited for a while, left some pastries and left, from entering the nunnery door to leaving the nunnery, it was just a stick of incense effort."
At this point, Liu Sanye's eyes were full of pain, "If I knew that something happened to her at that time, I would definitely not leave so easily."
Next to Third Master Liu, besides Second Master Liu and Fourth Master Liu, there were three young masters standing.
Besides Liu Yan whom I saw the day before yesterday, there were two other people. Wu Xiang glanced past them and looked at a young man in yellow robe, "Second Young Master, tell me, why did you go to see Miss Seven?"
Liu Xu looked calm, "Third Uncle didn't see Seventh Sister the day before yesterday. When I came back, I thought she listened to me the most when I was young, so I wanted to go there myself. But when I arrived, she still didn't open the door. Like my third uncle, from arriving at the nunnery to leaving the nunnery, it took less than a stick of incense, and the headhunters can ask the masters in the nunnery about this."
Wu Xiang gritted her back molars, and looked at the last person again, "Fifth Young Master, you didn't go for the same reason, did you go for less than a stick of incense?"
Fifth son Liu Xi frowned, "I'm not—"